Thief of Hearts
by ATsukurite
Summary: 10 years ago, Princess Alea, sister of Atem, is rescued by a young boy. 10 years later, she realizes that this boy is the King of Thieves, Bakura. But does she love him or hate him now? OCXThief Bakura. Rated M for language and later chapters.
1. Prologue: 10 years ago

(Alea's POV)

The night was dark with no moon in the sky to light it. I sat crying in my little prison, a cage. "So, we've captured a princess," one of my captors said. "People will pay a pretty hefty price for her."

"Yeah, especially because of her eye color," another said. "It's not every day you find someone with two eye colors."

"But what about the fact that she's five?" one man spoke up. "That will bring the price down a lot."

"Good point," the leader said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep her for a few years."

They all laughed. I continued to sob. I wanted to be with my father, brother, and sister.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards where I was. Out of nowhere, a boy of about eight years old emerged from the darkness. I couldn't see his face that well, but I could make out his hair color. It was white. I noticed a scar on the right side of his face. He quickly began unlocking my cage.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Ssh! I'm getting you out of here," he said. He opened the door and helped me out. "Come on," he said, taking me by the hand. He led me towards his horse and lifted me up onto it. We started riding away from the campsite. But just as we got away, the men realized I was missing and started chasing us.

"Oh no! They're going to catch us!" I exclaimed fearfully. "Not if I can help it," the boy said. He jumped off the horse. "Wait! What are you doing?" I yelled. "Take Midnight to the next ridge and don't stop," he said. "Just beyond it is the palace."

"But what about you?" I asked worriedly. "Don't worry. I'll be okay," he replied. "Now go!" I left him behind me. Just before he was out of sight, I called back, "I promise I will repay one day!" "I know!" he answered. He was out of sight. I turned around and focused on reaching the ridge that would lead me home.

Suddenly, there was loud explosion behind me. I turned and saw a large cloud of smoke and fire. In the midst of it was a large, monstrous creature with two sets of large wings and a snake for a tail. 'What was that?' I thought. Just then, I had reached the other side of the ridge. I was home. I made my way into the city.

(Aknamkanon's POV)

I waited anxiously for news of my youngest daughter's whereabouts. I was worried beyond worried. She was only five and the smallest of all three of my children.

Just then, my brother, Aknadin, walked in. "Brother, I have good news," he said. "Did you find Alea?" I asked. "Unfortunately, no," he replied. "But the Western Nile Kingdom has just agreed to make a treaty with us." This was good news. We had been fighting a bloody war with the Western Nile Kingdom for many years. "That is great news, Aknadin," I said. "They are ready to do this immediately…on one condition," Aknadin added. "What do they want?" I questioned. "They want you to betroth your youngest daughter to their eldest son, Prince Niu," Aknadin replied.

I fell into shock. I could never let Alea marry that awful man. I had heard that he was vile and had five wives in the past who mysteriously disappeared after they had sex with him. He was sure to hurt her. Besides, he was 20 years older than she was. "No…I can't," I said. "Isn't there anything else we can do?"

"They won't settle for anything but that," Aknadin said. "Think about it, Aknamkanon. If we do this, every life in our kingdom will be spared. It will be the end of all this bloodshed." He was right. Everyone's life depended on Alea marrying Niu. I had no other choice. "Very well," I said. "Tell them that I have agreed, but also that they must wait until Alea is sixteen for Niu to marry her." "Right away, Aknamkanon," Aknadin said. I felt extremely guilty about this.

Just then, a guard rushed into the room. "My king, we have just spotted Princess Alea returning from the desert!" he announced. I instantly ran to the entrance of the palace.

(Alea's POV)

"Open the gates!" a guard ordered as I approached the palace. Midnight went as fast as she could into the courtyard before stopping. I saw my family racing towards me. My father knelt down and held me tightly. "Thank goodness you're safe," he said. "I'm sorry for wandering off, Father," I apologized. "Don't be sorry," he said. "The point is you're safe and back home with us." My sister, Ema, and my brother, Atem, came behind me and hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. "Don't ever separate from us like that," Ema said. "I won't, I promise," I said. Then, my father's expression became a little sad. "What's wrong, Father?" I asked. He smiled. "Nothing," he said. "Let's go inside."

"Wait, I have to put Midnight in the stables," I said. "Midnight?" Atem questioned. "Yeah, she's the horse that the boy who saved me left me with to get here," I replied. "That was a good deed he did," my father said. "When you're done, Mahad will take you back to your room." Ema tugged on his robe. "Father, can I go with Mahad, too?" she asked. "Of course," he said. Ema couldn't fool me. I knew she had a crush on Mahad.

I took Midnight by the reins and led her into the stables and put her in the largest one. "You'll be happy in here," I told her. I stroked her nose and she nudged against me. I smiled. As I walked back inside with Ema and Mahad, I kept thinking of the boy who saved me. Would I really ever see him again?


	2. Coronation Day

**10 Years Later**

(Alea's POV)

It had been almost a year since our father, the former Pharaoh, died of unnatural causes. We were still grieving a little, but today was not a day to be sad. Today was the day that my brother, Atem, was to become the next Pharaoh and we were all excited.

I decided to have a little fun with my brother and took his crown when he wasn't looking. I walked into the balcony room where he would be presented as the new king. He seemed a little stressed, as did Shimon and Ema. "Atem," I said. "Yes," he said. "Missing something?" I asked, taking the crown from behind my back. "Alea, honestly," he said, a little annoyed. "Of all days to trick me, why today?" "Really," Ema agreed. "He's stressed out enough already." "Sorry," I said, smiling innocently. "Well, let's not keep the crowd waiting too long," Shimon said.

We walked out onto the balcony where we looked out at thousands of people cheering for my brother. Once he was in plain sight, everyone bowed down.

Just then, something in the distance caught my eye. It was just a little speck in the distance, but I could make out the figure of a person. Who was it. "Is something wrong, Alea?" Shimon asked. I snapped out of it. "No, nothing's wrong," I said. "Maybe we should get you inside," he said. "You look a little faint." "It's probably just the heat," I said. Shimon took me inside. Maybe that figure was just a hallucination. After Atem and Ema came back inside, we headed to the throne room. I took my place next to the throne while Ema took her place with the priests and priestesses.

My brother sat down. He looked a little ill. "Atem? Are you okay?" I asked. "Maybe we should postpone the celebration," Priest Seto suggested. Atem shook his head. "That won't be necessary," he said. "Very well," Seto said. "The time has come for the ceremonial festival of the Pharaohs." I sat down on a pillow and watched the performances.

The festivities went well into the night and I actually got a little bored at one point. I rested my head against the arm of the throne. "Are you okay, princess?" two soft voices asked. I looked up and saw Ume and Astraea, two of my brother's servants. "Yes, I'm fine," I said. "Would you mind if we sat down with you?" Ume asked. "Priest Seto is against this, but we still thought we'd ask," Astraea said. "I don't mind at all," I said. The girls sat next to me and started talking about everything.

Just then, I noticed Ema's Millennium Bracelet begin to glow. "Mahad," she said. It was a warning. What none of us had any idea of was that an assassin was targeting Atem. Just before a dart hit my brother, Mahad threw out his cloak and caught it just in time. Everything stopped. "Stop that intruder," Seto order. The guards quickly captured the man and brought him, bound, before my brother. "Assaulting the king of Egypt is an inexcusable crime," Mira, holder of the Necklace, said. "We're in the midst of a sacred ceremony," Mahad said. "Cast him into the dungeon."

"Wait," Seto said. "I have a better idea. We should use this rogue to demonstrate the extent of our power for the Pharaoh. Aknadin? Shimon?" They nodded their heads in agreement. "It shall be done," Shimon said. "I order a Millennium Trial of this man's soul," Seto commanded. I was a little excited. I had never witnessed a Millennium Trial and only knew what Ema told me of them. Apparently they were very rare. "You will now be judged by the dark magic of the seven Millennium Items," Seto said. "Suki will start."

Suki was the new holder of the Millennium Key as of last year and Shada's successor. She was kidnapped from Japan along with Ume and somehow escaped and made her way here. Unlike all the other priests and priestesses, she did not wear our Egyptian clothes. Instead, she wore what she called her "miko" uniform. Apparently mikos were Japan's equivalent of our priests.

She stepped forward. "With the power of the Millennium Key, I'll read this prisoner's mind," she said. She held out the Millennium Key and it began to glow. "The shadow of an evil creature lurks inside this man's heart," she deduced. She moved away and Aknadin took her place. "I will now invoke the energies of the Millennium Eye, revealing and extracting the being that dwells within. The Eye glowed, and then a dark shadow flowed from the prisoner's mouth. Ume and Astraea cowered behind me.

"What's happening?" Atem asked. "The Millennium Items have detected a shadow creature, or ka, dwelling in the heart of this criminal," Shimon explained. "Little is known about these beings of darkness, only that they feed on the hatred of humans. Once a ka is born, it forces its host to commit acts of evil, creating even more darkness to feast upon." I looked back at the scene. The dark shadow formed into a many-armed creature, all fangs and claws. "The guardians of the sacred court use the Millennium Items to seal these monsters within stone tablets." Two men raised a stone tablet behind Seto.

"Seto," Aknadin said. "use the power of the Millennium Rod to seal the shadow beast." He raised the Rod. "Relinquish this beast!" he commanded. A bright light surrounded the beast and pulled it into the stone tablet, sealing it away. A carved image of it appeared on the surface. "Well done, Seto," Aknadin praised. "Now that we're done with this fool, banish him to the dungeon," Seto ordered. "But Seto, we've expelled the darkness from his heart," Marni, holder of the Scales, said. "Therefore, it is the duty of the sacred court to set him free." "Marni is right," Suki said. "Release this man." "Store the tablet in the tablet sanctuary," Seto ordered.

"Mahad, the palace security is your responsibility. How did the intruder make it past the royal guard?" Typical Seto. Always having to nag people about their mistakes. "You're right," Mahad sighed. He knelt down before Atem. "Pharaoh, please accept my apologies," he said. "The Millennium Ring has been behaving strangely lately, making it difficult to detect criminal activity. May I have your permission to increase security forces to fortify the city?" "Yes," Atem said. Mahad rose, his expression slightly ashamed. Ema put her hand on his.

"Um…Mahad," I said. "If I may speak so, it wasn't really your fault. If the Ring has been acting so weird lately, then the blame doesn't fall on you." "Thank you, my princess," he said. Ema gave me a look that said "that was nice of you to say". Seto on the other hand just glared at me. I tried not to notice.

"We should continue with the coronation festivities," Shimon suggested to my brother. "But I was just attacked," Atem protested. "If your followers sense your fear, they, too, will feel unsafe," Shimon said. "The best way to hide that fear is with merriment and laughter." "I'll try," Atem said. I put my hand on his arm. "I'm sure it won't happen again," I reassured him. He smiled.

But I was dead wrong. "Wait!" Mira said. "My Millennium Necklace is sensing an evil force approaching the kingdom. It lurks just outside the palace wall, and bears a great power." What happened next was something that no one, especially me, ever expected.


	3. Blast from the Past

(Alea's POV)

There was a loud sound of rushing air, almost like spreading fire. I heard faint crying sounds, like screams. Mahad's Millennium Ring began to glow intensely. "What is it, Mahad?" Aknadin asked. "The Millennium Ring," he said. "We are in the presence of pure evil." Suddenly, a guard was struck down and a hooded man wearing a red robe and carrying a bag full of gold objects walked in.

"Sorry to intrude, but apparently someone left me off the guest list," he said. A second man with pale skin walked in, holding a struggling person by the throat. The person was Mara. The man holding her threw her to the ground in front of Suki. Suki knelt down and helped her to her feet.

"Bakura," Atem growled. "What do you want?" "You know what I came for," he said. How did he know this man's name? I had never seen him before. "I hope I didn't ruin your celebration," Bakura said. "You'll be punished for mocking the Pharaoh," Seto said. Bakura just laughed. "I live on the outskirts of your little kingdom, so your rules don't apply to me," he said. "Now, hand over your Millennium Items." "What?" all the priests exclaimed. "I didn't mean for free," he said, throwing the gold objects to the ground. They were my father's belongings that he was buried with!

I looked back up at him and was shocked. When he threw the items to the floor, his hood fell down, revealing his face. He had _white _hair. Just like that boy who saved me. But…it couldn't be him. Could it? His eyes connected with mine and he smiled. I broke from his gaze and tried to hide myself.

"I've brought another token of my esteem," he said. He whistled and his horse galloped in, dragging in my father's sarcophagus. It slid across the floor and Bakura stopped it by stepping on it with one foot. "Say hello to your previous king," he said. _That bastard! _"You've gone too far, Bakura!" my brother yelled. "Your soul must be judged by the Millennium Items."

"Bring a sealing tablet at once," Seto ordered. "Let the Millennium Trial begin!" "Your weak magic will never contain me," Bakura laughed. "No mortal can resist the power of the sacred items," Suki said. "Hold on," Marni said. The Scales began tipping back and forth. "It's unable to find balance, that means the evil in his heart is immeasurable." "Yes," Aknadin agreed. "His soul is a bottomless pit, in which thrives a terrifying creature." "Millennium Key, reveal the beast that lurks within," Suki said. It began to glow and she started backing away. She gasped. "That's no ordinary beast," she said. "It's the most powerful being I've ever seen. That sealing tablet is far too small." "That's ridiculous," Seto argued. "Seto's right," Aknadin agreed. "We've never had any difficulty before."

Suddenly, a bright light formed behind Bakura followed by a burst of energy and a huge monstrous creature appeared. Ume and Astraea clung to my skirt, afraid. That monster was all too familiar. That's what I saw right after that boy and I separated ten years ago. There was no mistaking it. Bakura was that boy who saved my life. "It's unbelievable!" Aknadin exclaimed. "How can such a creature live in the heart of a petty thief?"

"Well, Diabound meet the Pharaoh, and Pharaoh meet the creature of your demise," Bakura said. "I'm afraid you are mistaken," Seto said. He then used the Millennium Rod to seal Diabound within the stone tablet. "Just as I suspected," Seto said. "His soul has been cleansed."

"Thank you for saving my life, Seto," Bakura said in a softer voice. "That horrible creature was controlling my mind, and now I'm finally free." Maybe now I could ask him if he remembered me without having to worry. After all, he was okay now, wasn't he? But I was wrong, for right after he said he was free, he said in an evil voice, "Free to annihilate you!"

"That's impossible!" Mira exclaimed. "It didn't work!" Suddenly, the tablet began to crack and Diabound burst out. Bakura laughed and said, "I knew you'd be powerless against the dark energy of my Diabound."

"We must unite to conquer this adversary," Aknadin said. All the sacred guardians, including the palace general, Ryuuji, and his fiancé, Verana, took out their Diadiankhs and prepared for battle. I did the same, but the truth was I was horrible at fighting with ka. No matter, I had to defend my brother, even if it meant fighting someone I owed my life to.

"We must combine our power," Ema said. "I can defeat this thief on my own," Seto differed. Did he have any sense at all? I saw what that thing did to those men that night. There was no way he could defeat Diabound single-handedly. "Seto, don't," I warned. "You have no idea how strong he could be." He ignored me and raised his Diadiankh. "I summon Garestgolath! Wage war with Bakura's Diabound!" I watched as the dragon-beast appeared in front of him. "No one who disrespects the Pharaoh shall go unpunished," Seto said. Garestgolath attacked Diabound, but was stopped when Bakura called forth another ka, Winged Sage Falcos. That ka belonged to my father!

Falcos attacked and destroyed Garestgolath. "Only those in the royal court can summon monsters," Ema protested. "How did you summon that beast?" Mahad asked. "You do not possess a Diadiankh!"

"While I was paying my respects to the former king, I borrowed a few of his 'toys', like his Diadiankh" Bakura said, revealing my father's Diadiankh on his arm. It was my turn to speak. "Bakura," I warned. "You're interfering with forces beyond your control." He seemed a little taken aback by me speaking after being quiet this entire time. Then he quickly went back to smiling his wicked smile. "Don't you worry," he said. "I'm in complete control of these forces, thanks to the former king and his personal collection of monsters."

"You dare disturb the great protectors of the sacred crypt of King Aknamkanon?" Seto said, outraged. "Those creatures were placed there to guard the tomb of the Great Pharaoh," Aknadin protested. "The former Pharaoh was a tyrant!" Bakura disagreed. "He destroyed my village when he tried to fashion the eight Millennium Items in a selfish attempt to further his own power." What? My father made the Millennium Items? And he destroyed an entire village to do so.

"You're lying!" Ema said. "My father, Aknamkanon, put an end to the war that ravaged our kingdom and brought peace and prosperity. He created the Millennium items to insure that harmony would reign forever." "The Pharaoh then gave them to us in order to keep the peace and help rule this land with justice, as well as to thwart evildoers like you," Seto added. "Evildoers? What do you think _you _are?" Bakura said. "The Millennium Items were built to react with the inner darkness of the person that holds them. The fact that you wield them makes every one of you an evildoer, just like your so-called keeper of the peace, King Aknamkanon. Your king wanted power- that's why he devised a plan to use the Millennium Items to control the world. The secret lies in the village of Kul Elna."

"What you speak is treason!" Aknadin said. "Deep beneath the sands of Kul Elna lies the Millennium Stone," Bakura continued. "Place the eight Items in this stone and ultimate power will be yours." I didn't know who to believe at this point. The priests or Bakura. "Enough!" Seto said.

It was time to call upon our monsters. Marni, Rare Metal Dragon; Mira, Spiria; Suki, Magician's Valkyria; Aknadin, Gadius; Mahad, Illusion Magician; Seto, Battle Ox; Verana, Amazoness Chain Master; Ryuuji, Strike Warrior (not Ninja because it's Ancient Egypt); Ema, Dark Necrofear; and myself…Shining Friendship. Like I said, I was horrible when it came to using ka in a fight. That was pretty much one of the only ones I knew about. "Alea, what are you thinking?" Ema said. "That little thing will be crushed." "Sorry," I said, getting stressed. "I didn't know what to do."

(I won't explain too much of the battle, you know what happens)

He had completely overpowered us. Everyone's ka was gone. Everyone's except mine. For some reason, Bakura never attempted to attack little Shining Friendship. Did he think she wasn't worth it, or was it something else that involved me? "This isn't over," Mahad said. "It will be soon," Bakura said. "One more attack and this palace will reduced to rubble!"

Just then, Atem stood up and walked in front of the priests. "So, the Pharaoh has decided to come out and fight," Bakura said. "I thought this tiny thing was all I had left to defeat." I flushed red, embarrassed. I raised my Diadiankh and returned Shining Friendship to her tablet.

Bakura kicked my father's coffin towards my brother. I rushed to Atem and knelt before the coffin, followed by Ema. "Father," Ema said quietly. "Bakura! Why did you do this?" I cried. He seemed slightly phased by this. "You three mustn't believe anything he says about your father," Shimon said. "He was kind and just." Atem knelt down and touched our father's coffin. "We believe you," he said to Shimon. "I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion with the former Pharaoh, but we're in the middle of a battle," Bakura said. "Do have any last words before I deal the final blow and seize your Millennium Items?"

"You've forgotten something, Bakura," Atem said, standing up and activating his Diadiankh. "I can summon the Egyptian gods!" Could it be? The legendary God monsters? Only the chosen king knew the names of these beings. "I summon Obelisk the Tormenter!" Atem shouted. Just then, a column of light formed in the throne room. Obelisk appeared. "Diabound!" Bakura commanded. "Attack with White Lightning!"

The two monsters clashed. But neither of them had any effect on the other. They were both thrown back. Their power was equal! Both men recalled their monsters. "He withstood the assault of an Egyptian god," Seto said, shocked.

Bakura struggled to his feet. "This isn't over," he said. "All eight Millennium Items are fated to belong to me." He turned around and got on his horse, accompanied by the man who attacked Mara, and rode away. "After him!" Aknadin ordered the guards. I ran to my balcony and watched as Bakura and his men escaped.

I couldn't understand it. Bakura was the boy who saved my very life without a second thought, yet he held a strong grudge against my family. _Why?_ I wondered.

"Alea," a soft female voice said. I turned around and saw who it was. It was Suki. "Yes?" I said. "I know a million thoughts must be running through your head right now, but look what I found on your bed," she said, holding out something. It was a pure red rose. They were extremely rare and didn't even grow in Egypt. "Oh, wow," I said, amazed. "Who left it?" "I don't know," Suki said. "It was just lying there with no note or anything." I marveled at its beauty. "Whoever left it must be deeply in love with you," Suki said. "A red rose symbolizes eternal love."

"I'll never go anywhere without it," I said. I went back inside, set the rose on my bedside table, and got into bed. All I could think about was Bakura. I hated him, but still owed him my life. But how could I repay what he did for me after what happened tonight?


	4. Unwanted Guests

(Alea's POV)

I woke up the next morning and went out onto the balcony. I looked out at the people rebuilding the burned half of the city. The damage was extensive. To think, Bakura, of all people, would do this.

I looked down at two boys playing with a ball just outside the palace walls. One boy threw the ball too high and it landed on the inside of the balcony. I picked it up and tossed it back to them. "Thank you," they called up. I just smiled.

I then decided to go out to the garden. I walked through all the flowers and finally sat down under a cherry blossom tree. I was about to relax until I heard a hissing sound right next to me. A little white snake was making its way towards me. I was starting to back away, but I noticed that it was not a poisonous snake.

It came up to my hand and slithered across it. "Hey there," I said. It looked up at me with little button eyes and tilted its head in curiosity. It crawled onto my lap and curled itself up into a little coil. I stroked its skin. It was very smooth. "What should I call you?" I wondered. "I know, I'll call you Ini-herit. It means 'brings back the distant one'." He flicked his tongue onto my hand. "I guess you like that name," I said.

"Alea?" someone said. It was Atem. "Oh, who's this?" he asked, indicating Ini-herit. "Isn't he cute? I just found him wondering around," I said. Atem reached down to pet him, but Ini-herit backed away and hissed at him. Atem withdrew his hand. "Yet it seems like he only likes you," he said. "Anyway, Prince Niu of the Western Nile Kingdom has arrived just now and it would be rude of you not to greet him."

"Him?" I whined. "Why is he here?"

"He just is," Atem said. "You must show him respect. Him and his sister, Odjit."

"Agh! Not her!" I exclaimed. "She is evil! I can't even believe you're betrothed to her."

"Neither can I," Atem said quietly. "But that's just how things are. Now hurry, we mustn't keep them waiting." I got up and Ini-herit wrapped himself around my neck like a loose necklace. Marni walked up to me. "Can you believe it?" she said. "Those people are here."

"I know," I said. "It's un—Alea, why is your necklace moving?" she asked. Ini-herit moved his head out from under my head. Marni got a scared look on her face. She had a fear of snakes. "Um…I don't want to know," she said. I couldn't keep myself from giggling.

We entered the throne room, where, standing in the middle, the 35 year old Prince Niu and his 20 year old sister Princess Odjit waited. "Princess Alea," Niu said. "After hearing so much about you, I finally get to meet you face to face." He walked up to me and kissed my hand. _Oh, god. I need to wash my hand after this. _"Like they told me, you are the most beautiful person in Egypt," he said, squeezing my cheeks with his hand.

Ini-herit sprung from my neck and bit Niu's wrist. "Ouch!" he said, recoiling in pain. "What the hell is that?"

"Ini-herit," I replied. "He's very protective of me."

"Well, I'd advise you to keep him away from me," Niu said. "You're lucky he isn't poisonous," I said. "Can someone get fan? I'm dying of heat," Odjit complained to a servant. "And get me some fruit while you're at it, I'm starving. And make it quick. I didn't come all the way here to not be waited on."

"Y-Yes, Princess Odjit," the young servant girl said. She came up to me as she was leaving. "Shall I get you anything, Princess Alea?" she asked quietly. "No, thank you," I replied kindly. "You have enough to do already."

"Yes, princess," she said, leaving. "Well, this place isn't as fancy as I expected," Odjit said. "And you practically let the servants run around everywhere."

"Well, unlike your snotty little kingdom, we treat our servants with dignity," I said. "Excuse me? Snotty little kingdom?" Odjit said. "You disrespectful little bi—"

"Odjit! You're being rude to our hosts," Niu said. "And Princess Alea is going to be your sister-in-law soon, so you might as well show her proper respect."

"Whatever," Odjit said. "Well, I'll let Shimon show you to your rooms," Atem said. Just then, the servant girl came in with a fan and a bowl of fruit for Odjit. "You need to be quicker," Odjit said. She took a bite of a mango and spat it out. "Are you trying to kill me!" she shouted at the servant girl. "This fruit is overripe! I could get a disease!"

"But…but…it's the freshest fruit we have," the servant girl said. "I swear it's not overripe."

"You little liar!" Odjit yelled, slapping her. I was shocked. That poor girl. She started shedding several tears. Suki quickly rushed over to her and put her hand to the bruise on her cheek. "It's not too bad," she said in a comforting tone. "What's with your clothing?" Odjit said. "Are you a reject or something?"

"For your information, I'm a high priestess and this happens to be my uniform," Suki said. "If you had any sense, you'd know that I'm from Japan."

"How dare you! I'll have you know that I have more sense in one finger than you do in your little freak body," Odjit said. Niu walked over and separated the two. "Odjit, that's quite enough," he said. "I won't have you making a scene." I decided that I had had enough and left.

As I walked down the outside corridor, I heard voices from around the corner. I quietly approached and hid behind the wall. "Mahad, please," a female voice said. It was Ema. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. You did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong? Because of me, the Pharaoh was almost assassinated. Of course, it's my fault."

"Listen to me Mahad. The only one who thinks it's your fault is Seto. I don't, Alea doesn't, Mirna doesn't, and my brother especially doesn't. I know it's your duty to protect him, but everyone makes mistakes. You need to not let these things get to you."

"…Okay, I won't. For your sake."

"Mahad…" her voice became muffled. I could tell they were kissing.

I sighed. I started to imagine that Bakura was like Mahad and that we could have moments like that. Ini-herit seemed to sense my thoughts and moved his head up my face in a comforting way. "Don't do anything rash," Ema pleaded. "I don't want to lose you before we get married."

"I won't," Mahad said. Ema turned the corner and was surprised to see me. "Alea? Were you listening to us?" she asked. "Yes," I admitted. "I think it was nice of you to comfort him like that."

"Oh…well, thank you," she said. "Well, hello there," a voice said. Ema and I peeped around the corner and saw Odjit coming up to Mahad. "Hello…Princess Odjit," Mahad said, not excited to see her. "Please, just Odjit," she said, her tone flirty. "So, what's a tall, handsome man like you doing all by himself?"

"I was just about to rejoin the other priests," Mahad answered. Odjit backed him up against the wall. "You know, I've been very lonely for a while and I could sure use your company," she said. "What the hell is that bitch doing with my man," Ema whispered. "That whore," I chimed.

Odjit leaned forward to kiss him, but Mahad pushed her away. "You're betrothed to the Pharaoh," he said. "I wonder what he would think if he knew what you were doing. He might call the whole wedding off." Odjit had a terrified look on her face. "Don't tell anyone what just happened," she said, leaving.

"That's my Mahad," Ema said proudly. "You are one lucky girl," I said. "Well, let's get back to the throne room, we're having a party for the arrival of Niu and Odjit and I bet we can get some good gossip on Odjit."

"Yeah, I'd like to hear and talk about all the bad stuff she does," Ema said. We made our way to the throne room.

The party went into the night and you would not believe all the things we heard that Niu and Odjit did. They had sex with whoever they wanted and Niu was even suspected of raping several young girls about my age. I would make sure to put a protection spell over my door tonight. During the party, Odjit yelled at several servants over minor things, like the fruit being unripe or overripe and the water or wine being too hot or too cold. _Bitch_.

I decided to go to bed. I cast a protection spell on my door and got into bed, putting Ini-herit on my bedside table with my rose.


	5. Messenger

(Ini-herit's POV)

I made sure that she was fast asleep so she wouldn't see me leaving. I crawled off the table and went out the window. I sprouted my wings and flew out towards the desert.

When I reached a cliff, I put away my wings and slithered towards a rock. "You've returned," my master said. "What news do you have?" He held out his hand and I crawled up his arm and around his neck. I whispered all I had seen and heard. "So, the priest with the Ring is on edge," he said. "Perhaps he'll want to fight me face to face and alone. That will make it easy to obtain his Millennium Item…What of Alea?" I told him everything I knew. "She betrothed to that man and she doesn't know?" he said. "I guess I need to keep a close eye on her…continue to watch her and tell me what happens every night." I crawled onto the ground and flew back to the princess's room.

A shadow appeared under the door. When the person tried to open the door he recoiled in pain, having received a burn to his hand. Niu. If he ever tried to mess with my master's property again, I'd give him a bite that _is _poisonous.


	6. The Truth

(Alea's POV)

I awoke to someone shaking me. "Alea! Alea, wake up!" a girl said. It was Mirna. "What is it?" I asked tiredly. "Mahad is leaving!" she said. "What?" I said, in disbelief. "Why?" "He wasn't specific, but if we hurry to the throne room we can find out," Mirna said. We rushed to the throne room, where Mahad was speaking to Atem.

"I assure you, Pharaoh, your father's tomb will never be disturbed again," he said. "My team of sorcerers is casting a spell to secure the walls as we speak."

"Excellent," Atem said.

Seto, as always, was less than supportive. "If you mess up again you'll be stripped of your priesthood," he said. "So I'd be careful if I were you." Ema had a look of fury on her face. "Seto, that's enough," Shimon said. "Yes," Atem agreed.

"Good luck, Mahad, and thank you." Mahad bowed respectfully and left. I ran to my balcony and watched him leave with several soldiers carrying a stone tablet. That only meant one thing: He was expecting to fight Bakura. I saw Ema run out in front of Mahad. They talked and Ema looked like she was begging him not to leave. They hugged, kissed one more time, and Mahad left. Poor Ema. If anything happened to him, she'd be hurt the most. I prayed that Bakura would not show up.

As I walked down a hallway, I heard raised voices. I recognized them as Ema and Seto. "I am so sick and tired of your egotistical attitude," Ema said. "I don't understand why you're making such a big deal about this," Seto said. "You always think you're better than everyone else, but I'll have you know that Mahad will always be a stronger man than you'll ever be," Ema said. "And if anything bad happens to him while he's gone, it'll be on your watch." Sheesh! Talk about mad! Ema always had a short fuse, and it was unwise to push her buttons. Seto was obviously ignorant of that fact.

Seto was silent then walked away. He turned the corner and saw me. He glared at me. I had to say something. "Don't upset her," I said, not looking at him. "You have no idea what she's like when she's mad."

"I'll take my chances," he said. I couldn't believe him. What an ass! "You know, if anyone should be stripped of their priesthood, it should be you," I said. I ran away before he could say anything.

I went to the garden and sat down on the fountain. I pulled my knees up to my chest. Why were so many bad things happening lately? The boy who saved my life was out to kill my entire family, Niu and Odjit had come to stay in the palace, and Mahad was gone and it felt like he would not return.

Just then, someone walked up. "Well, what are you doing here all by yourself?" a deep voice asked. It was Niu. "What do you want?" I asked rather rudely. "Come now, don't act so upset around me," he said. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"I am _not _your friend," I said. "Then we're acquaintances," he said. "Don't you get it?" I asked. "I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"I don't ask anything of you," he said. "All I want is for you to like me." He reached up to touch my cheek, but before he could, Atem grabbed his hand and pulled it away. "You're wanted in the meeting room," he said, his tone serious. Niu took his hand away and left. "Thanks," I said. "I won't let him touch you," Atem said.

I hugged him. "Nowadays it seems like you and Ema are the only ones I can talk to," I said. "That's not true," Atem said. "There's the other priests and the servants."

"Yeah, but none of them get me like you guys do," I said. "After all, you guys are my siblings."

"I understand," Atem said. "Well, let's try to get through the day while Mahad isn't here."

"Right," I said. He left.

But just as he did, Odjit appeared. I tried to walk away, but she grabbed me and held me still. "Let me go," I said. "I don't think so," she said. "There's something we need to talk about."

"I really rather not," I said, trying to pull away from her. "You are going to show me the proper respect I deserve since you and I will soon be in-laws," she said. "So don't try to get my brother to protect you, cause he won't."

"Uh, I think you mean get _my _brother to protect me," I said. "I would never ask that of your brother."

"You don't get what I'm telling you, do you?" she said. "Honestly, I don't think you get what you're telling me," I said. "You little…what I'm telling you is that after your birthday in two days, you'll have to marry Niu," Odjit said.

I was shocked, but started laughing loudly. "You really expect me to believe that?" I asked, laughing. "It's true," she said, a wicked smirk on her face. "That's the deal your father made with mine when he agreed to stop the war." My laughter faded. "You're lying," I accused. "Just ask your uncle, he'll tell you," Odjit said.

I broke away from her and ran to Aknadin's tablet sanctuary, where he usually was. "Alea?" he said, noticing me. "What's wrong?" "Is it true," I asked, shaking. "Is what true?" he questioned. I grabbed ahold of his robes. "Am I betrothed to Niu? Tell me it's not true," I begged. He was silent. "Tell me!" I pleaded.

"I'm sorry," he said. "We had no other choice." I released him. "That's it?" I said. "You had no other choice?"

"It was either you marry Niu or the lives of millions slaughtered."

"Did you ever think about how I would feel about it?"

"Alea, these are things that must be done."

"Must be done? You had a choice! God, I'd rather marry Bakura than that bastard!" Aknadin was shocked. "Alea, you must talk like that," he said. I didn't want to listen to him anymore and ran off.

Then, I ran into Ema. "Alea, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned. "Aknadin just told me," I said. "I'm betrothed to Niu." I started crying.

Ema held me tightly. "I'm sorry," she said. "Why must this happen?" I said. "I know it's hard, but don't worry too much," Ema said. "We're trying to make a deal with the king of the Western Nile Kingdom to make it so Atem and Odjit's marriage is the only one that will happen." I was surprised. "You are?" I questioned. "Yes," she said, smiling. "You're way too young to be marrying him anyway."

"What a relief," I said. "But don't hold your breath, because the king is staying hard to the original deal," Ema said. "But we'll hold out to the very end."

"Thank you, sis," I said. "Just be happy and relax for the time being," Ema said. "Okay," I agreed.

I went on with the usual daily activities: reading, thinking, eating, practicing magic, weaponry training, and trying to avoid Seto, Niu, and Odjit. Just before I was ready to go to bed, I noticed a bright light outside my balcony.

I rushed out and saw that it was coming from Mahad's tablet shrine. That meant he was fighting. And I knew exactly who he was fighting with. Bakura. I then noticed Atem and Ema rushing out of the shrine. They were heading to the Valley of the Kings. I had to follow them.

I ran out of my room and headed to the stables. Suddenly, Niu stopped me. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Niu, I don't have time for this," I said. "But we didn't finish what we started earlier today," he said. "Sorry, I have to go," I said, pushing past him.

I ran inside the stable and mounted Midnight just as Atem and Ema were leaving. "Alea? What are you doing?" Ema asked as I came up beside them. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm coming with you," I said. We rode out into the desert and suddenly saw a flash of blue light coming from a distant valley. But…that wasn't the Valley of the Kings. That was the Spellcasters Training Ground. Nevertheless, we went in that direction.

When we reached the training ground, a hoard of men in black robes and red glowing eyes were waiting there. I recognized one man who wore a beige robe and had silver hair. It was the man who attacked Mara. With him was a woman with scarlet hair.

"We have to warn the others," Atem said. "Leave it to me," Ema said. She blew a reed that made a crow sound and Verana's messenger crow, Khepri, flew down to her. "Take this to the palace," she said, tying a note to it's claw. It flew away. "You two get to safety," Atem said. "Are you kidding?" I said. "We're fighting them with you." Atem was about to protest, but he nodded. We drew out our swords and rode forward.

Then the madness began. There was the loud clashing of metal against metal, shouts from us and the men, and the cutting into of flesh.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head and everything went black.


	7. Liar

(Alea's POV)

I awakened feeling groggy and tired. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. When I looked around, something wasn't right. This wasn't my room. I got up and ran to the little window. I peered out it and saw only ruins and desert. Where was I?

I rushed to the door and opened it, only to have my escape stopped by someone. When I looked up, I became so shocked that froze where I was. It was Bakura. "Well," he said. "Did you miss me?" I couldn't say anything. I was thrilled yet at the same time I was scared to death. If he was here, that meant Mahad had lost the battle and was dead.

I backed away and then started sprinting towards the window. I jumped up and started crawling out of it. But when I was halfway out, Bakura grabbed me by my pelvis and yanked me back in, holding me tightly against his body. "No! Let me go!" I screamed. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. "Help!" I cried out. "No one is going to hear you," Bakura said. "We're miles away from any city or village." I started to cry and finally gave up. He carried me over to the bed I woke up in and set me down on it.

That's when I noticed the open door. When the right moment came, I jumped off the bed and ran out the door. I could hear him running behind me. I saw a door and desperately tried to open it. "Come on, come on!" I cried, fumbling with the knob. It was locked.

I tried to run for another door, but ran into a dead end. "No," I breathed. My chances of escape were now slim to none. The footsteps stopped. I sank to the ground and pulled my knees up to my chest. Bakura knelt down and reached his hand towards me. "Stay away from me, you murderer," I said. He took his hand back.

"Is that really how you're going to talk to the person who saved your life?" he questioned. "How can I not be angry at you when you killed someone important to me?" I said. "That's a nice way to tell someone you still care about them, by murdering their family…Now I don't even want to repay you for what you did."

"You know, you're acting really selfish right now," Bakura said. "I practically just saved you a second time."

"How?" I questioned.

"I took you away from that awful man, Niu…I didn't want you to marry that bastard."

I was a little stunned. "How did you know I was betrothed to him?" I asked. He smiled slightly. "Ini-herit told me," he said. "What?" I said, confused.

"I sent him to the palace to watch over you."

"To…watch over me?"

"Yes. That's the reason he bit Niu when he tried to touch you, he was acting on my behalf." I was a little surprised and…slightly flattered.

But I was still angry at him for what he did. "I don't understand you," I said. "You desecrate my father's tomb, you murder someone who was like family to me, and you expect me to forgive you and act like it was just a big mistake. You must be out of your fucking mind."

Bakura seemed guilty, but he quickly masked it with a frustrated look. "Don't expect me to take you back home," he said. "You belong to me now and that means you don't have the same power over me as you would in your little kingdom. And I wouldn't try to escape, because if I don't get you the desert will."

"You unbelievable monster," I said. "How can you do this to me?" He didn't answer and walked away. I stood up and grabbed him by his robe. "Why?" I asked angrily. He gave no response.

Fury rose up inside me and I slapped him hard. He was momentarily stunned, but he snapped out of it and grabbed me by the upper arm, dragging me back to the room. "Let me go," I ordered. "You're in no position to be making demands," he said.

We reached the room and he practically threw me inside. I hit the floor and scraped my knee. "Stay in here until I come back and get you," he commanded. "Don't make the mistake of trying to leave." I was silent.

Finally, I spoke. "All these years, I thought about you as my knight in shining armor…someone would do anything for me, who would make sure he did nothing that would upset me," I said quietly. "Yet all this time you were lying to me and hurting me for your own selfish desires. I thought you cared about me, but you lied. I hate you, Bakura!" He froze for a moment, a look of hurt on his face. He turned away and slammed the door behind him, locking it.

I burst into tears. Was there any way out of this torture? Maybe there was. One way to end it forever.

(Bakura's POV)

I leaned back against the door. I could hear her sobbing loudly. Guilt filled my heart. Up until two days ago, she thought about as someone she could count on no matter what. Now she only saw me as a liar and a murderer. I put my hand to my face. "What is wrong with me?" I said quietly.

"Bakura?" a voice asked. I looked up and saw Kiko. She looked concerned (Kiko is the "man" who attacked Mara in Chapter 3). "What happened?" she asked. "Nothing," I answered. She raised an eyebrow. It was useless to lie to her. She knew me too well.

"You know, she has a point," she said. "I would suggest leaving her alone for a while…I wouldn't expect her to get over this quickly."

"Perhaps you're right," I said. "I'll leave her in your care…you and Alexandria make sure she's all right."

"Don't worry, we will," Alexandria said, walking into view. I handed her the key to the door and left to go to the Millennium Stone.


	8. Forgive Me

(FF to that night)

(Bakura's POV)

The ghosts were restless now because the Millennium Ring was now in the Stone. It was just one step closer to unlocking the ultimate Shadow power. But as I slowly began to realize, it was one step further away from Alea. All my thoughts were mixed in a confusing jumble of gains and losses.

Just then, Kiko ran into the underground temple, looking distressed. "Bakura!" she said. "Alea isn't in her room!"

"What?" I exclaimed. "How?"

"She must've escaped out the window," she replied. "…I'm sorry…"

"Search everywhere for her," I commanded.

"Yes, sir," Kiko answered.

I rushed above ground and began searching high and low for her. That's when I saw a small figure on the roof of a still sanding building. There was a faint twinkling light of a red gem, like the ones on her tiara. It had to be her. I went inside the house and climbed the stairs to the roof. She was standing near the edge and looking down. She sounded like she was crying.

"Alea," I said, making sure my voice was soft and unthreatening. She turned around with a jump. "Don't come any closer," she warned. "I'm ending this once and for all." She couldn't possibly be serious. "Alea, please," I begged. "You don't have to do this."

"I do," she said. "It's the only way to end my suffering…besides, it would satisfy your desire to have my entire family exterminated, wouldn't it?"

I was shocked. She really thought that she had no way out. "Alea, don't," I said. "Just come back and you can take out all your hatred and anger out on me…just don't kill yourself." She seemed to hesitate, but she turned around and stepped up onto the edge of the roof. She leaned forward. "Don't!" I yelled, running up and grabbing her.

I pulled her into my arms and started dragging her back. "Release me!" she ordered, struggling. "I can't let you hurt yourself," I said, holding her tightly. While I wasn't looking, she slammed her heel into my shin and elbowed me in my side, forcing me to let go. She ran to the edge of the roof and turned around to face me. "Goodbye," she whispered. She fell back.

"No!" I screamed.

There was a loud thud and a faint crunching sound. I became sick to my stomach. I looked over the edge and saw her lying on the ground, not moving. "No," I breathed. I raced back down to the ground floor and outside where she was. There was a small patch of blood under her head and tears were dripping out of her eyes. I knelt down and picked her up, holding her lifeless body in my arms. "Why?" I asked quietly. "You didn't have to kill yourself."

This was all my fault. I had been nothing but cruel to her in the last hours of her life and that was what caused her to go over the edge. The night was very quiet. All I could hear was the sound of sucking and blowing wind.

But…wait a minute…it was too quiet to be wind. I held my breath so I could hear where it was coming from. It sounded like heavy, labored breathing. When I listened closer, I realized it was coming from Alea. She was still breathing! She wasn't dead! I had to act quickly. I lifted her off the ground and carried her inside. I took her into my room and placed her on the bed.

After gently and carefully resting her head on a pillow, I opened a drawer and took out a needle and thread and some gauze. Alexandria rushed in. "What happened?" she asked, worried. "I'll explain later," I said. "Get some water." She rushed out and came back in two minutes with a pitcher of water and a basin. I grabbed a cloth and soaked it in the water. I gently turned Alea on her side and searched her scalp for the wound. I found it and wiped away the blood until all I could see was the opening. I took the needle and thread and started sewing the wound shut. I finished and wrapped the gauze around her head, laying her on her back and pulling the covers over her.

"Bring Kiko in here," I told Alexandria. She nodded and went to retrieve Kiko. I took Alea's hand and held it in mine. Kiko walked in and stood next to me. "What's her condition?" I asked. Kiko walked around to the other side of the bed and placed her hand on Alea's head. She closed her eyes. "She's okay thanks to your quick thinking," Kiko said. "She just needs to rest."

"That's good," I breathed. "That fall should have killed her, though," Kiko said. "Yet it only injured her…are you wondering why?"

"Yes," I said. "Something inside her didn't want her to die," Kiko said. "I don't understand," I said. "Her ka needs her to survive so that it may survive, too," she explained. "It won't let her die." I just nodded in understanding. "We should let her sleep," Kiko said. "Right," I agreed.

We left the room and I went to my throne room to plan what to say to her when she woke up. All the apologies I would offer, all the requests for her forgiveness, how I would express how much I cared about her.

(FF to the next morning)

(Alea's POV)

My eyes opened to a dim light. I was lying in a large bed with red silk sheets. But this wasn't right. I was supposed to be dead. There was a throbbing pain in the back of my head. I reached up to rub it and felt bandages on it. What was going on?

I tried to get up, but was gently pushed back down on the bed. "No, no," a soft female said. "You're in no shape to be up and about. You have to rest." I looked up and saw the woman with scarlet hair I had seen the night I was kidnapped. "What's going on?" I asked. "You're lucky you weren't killed by that fall," she said. "I wish I was," I muttered. She was slightly taken aback. "You poor girl," the woman said.

"Alexandria," a voice said. It was the man, or as I could see now, woman, who was with Bakura the night of Atem's coronation. "Let me talk to her," she said, gently touching Alexandria's cheek. Alexandria nodded and left the room. "That was a selfish thing you did," Kiko said. "You were prepared to prematurely end your life without giving any thought to how others would feel." I wished Alexandria had stayed. "Bakura was mortified when you jumped off that roof, and he blamed himself harshly for it," Kiko said. "That's three times he's had to save you. You should really think about apologizing for being so selfish and try to repay him."

I felt a little guilty. I guess it was wrong of me to act so ungrateful towards him. "He'll be coming in shortly," Kiko said. "Please…try not to make him feel worse than he already does." She left the room. I waited quietly in my bed.

Suddenly, Bakura walked in. I became nervous. He sat down on the bed. "I'm glad you're alright," he said. I was a little surprised. I expected him to start out by telling me the same thing Kiko had told me. But instead he told me how happy he was that I wasn't dead.

"Look…I know that I haven't been good to you, and I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry for everything, for all the sadness and pain that I've caused you, for all the lies I've told you…everything that made you think that death was the only way out. I care so much about you and every time you get hurt, I feel like it's my fault. All I want is for you to forgive me."

I was touched by his words. He was so sincere that I couldn't not accept his apology. "I forgive you," I said quietly. He seemed surprised, but then smiled softly. "Thank you," he said. "Bakura," I said. "I'm sorry for acting so ungrateful towards you. You've saved me so many times, and I've repaid you with hatred and selfishness. Can you forgive me?"

"You don't even have to ask," Bakura said. I felt warm inside. "How can I repay you?" I asked. "I just want you to stay here with me," he said. I pretty much had no other choice. "Okay," I said. "Thank you," he said. "I promise I'll make sure that you'll be happy here." I just smiled. "Thank you," I said. He smiled back and stroked my hair.

"It's your birthday today, isn't it?" he asked. "Yes," I replied. "Tomorrow I'm supposed to marry Niu."

"Well, I guess that's not happening," Bakura said, laughing. "Thank God," I said, laughing, too. We enjoyed the thought of Niu being mad as hell that he would get to rape me. Served him right.

Just then, a familiar hissing sound came up next to me. It was Ini-herit. "Hey there," I said. "I missed you." Ini-herit slithered up to me and rested himself on top of my chest. He flicked out his tongue at my nose. I giggled at the ticklish feeling. "He missed you, too," Bakura said, lightly stroking Ini-herit's skin.

"Well, I think I'll let you rest." I was about to let him go, but instead I grabbed onto his robe. "Actually, could you stay here with me?" I asked. He smiled warmly. "Of course," he said, lying down next to me. All we did was talk. I felt happier than I had in days.


	9. You're in a Better Place

(Ema's POV)

I couldn't seem to live with myself. In the past two days, Mahad had died and my own sister had been kidnapped by the King of Thieves. Who knows what horrible things he was doing to her.

I had barely been able to sleep and my eyes were red and sore. I didn't eat anything, so I was getting very thin. Seto's egotism wasn't helping at all. He said Mahad died because he was weak and Alea's kidnapping happened because no one had any sense to protect her. For his information, I tried to stop them from taking her away, but there were too many of them to fight.

I felt sick in my heart. Though I didn't agreed with anything Seto said, I still felt like it was my fault that Alea was taken. "Ema," someone said. It was Atem. "It's good to see you up and about," he said. "But…you look awful."

"I haven't been able to eat or sleep at all," I replied. "Ema…you shouldn't do that, you know that your health is fragile," he said. "I don't care," I said. "The sooner I'm dead, the sooner I'll be able to be able to be with Mahad." Atem was shocked. "Ema…you can't do this to yourself," he said. "Mahad wouldn't want you to."

He was right. Mahad would not want me to do this. But I couldn't stop myself for some reason. "Just…leave me alone," I said. Atem seemed like he would protest, but he nodded in understanding. "Just know that you can always talk to me when you have something on your mind," he said. "I know," I said.

I walked down to the hospital area where a young boy with pale skin and white hair was recovering from being hurt by a mob of citizens. His name was Ryou. I looked at him from the doorway. There was something about this boy. But I couldn't tell what it was. Every time I looked at him, I got a funny feeling inside me. Just how innocent looking he was. He almost reminded me of my sister.

Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. "What's a princess such as yourself doing in a place like this?" a deep voice asked. I knew exactly who it was…Niu. "What's it to you?" I asked. "Well, royalty shouldn't be mingling with peasants, and you seem to like this one," he said. "You know, I don't respect voyeurs," I said.

He came up and pinned me to the wall. "Get off me," I ordered. "Why go after some worthless peasant when you could have me," he said. Was he serious? I felt like I would vomit. "I wouldn't want you if you were the last man on earth," I said. "Come on, don't be like that," Niu said, placing his hands on my hips. "You have such nice curves," he said, rubbing his hands up my sides.

I pushed him off and slapped him. "Get your god damn hands off me, you pig!" I yelled. A looked of fury crossed his face and he punched me hard in the cheek, knocking me to the ground. "I _will _have my way with you eventually, just like I will when your sister comes back. If she denies me…well, I'll just have to break her," he said. "And if you tell anyone, I'll kill the boy in that room." He walked away, leaving me on the floor.

I began to cry. No one was safe from Niu. I now felt like Alea being with Bakura was better than her having to endure this. Just then, I felt gentle hands touch my shoulder. "Princess, are you alright?" a soft voice asked. I looked up and saw Ryou. "Yes, I'm fine," I lied. "You should go back and rest."

"But…I can't rest knowing that you are troubled," Ryou said. "I heard all the awful things that man said to you and was worried about you."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

_Alea…you must be happier where you are than you would be here._


	10. Stories

(Alea's POV)

I woke up the next morning well rested and feeling better than I had in days. I had been bedridden the previous day, so I figured today I should get up and walk around. I got out of Bakura's bed and exited the room. "Well, it's nice to see you up and about," a deep female voice said. It was Kiko. "And might I say, you look better than you have in days." "Thank you," I said, smiling. "Bakura is waiting for you…shall we go?" she said. I nodded.

She led me to a large room that was filled with countless riches and in the center was a luxurious red sofa. "I think I'll leave you two alone," Kiko said. I quickly walked over to the couch and sat down next to Bakura. I didn't comment at all on the stolen treasures in the room. He was the King of Thieves, so I might as well get used to it. "How are you feeling today?" he asked. "Much better," I replied. "I think we should remove your bandage," he said. "Okay," I said.

I turned around so that my back was towards him. He removed the bandage from around my head and took out a small knife. He raised it to my stitches and started carefully removing them. It hurt a little bit. "It healed pretty quickly," Bakura said. "Well, it was all thanks to you," I said. I could sense him smiling. Finally, he finished. "Thanks," I said. "You're welcome," Bakura said kindly. "Also, your tiara broke when you fell, so here's a new one." He handed me almost an exact replica of my old tiara. I placed it on my forehead. "Thank you," I said. He just smiled.

Just then, I felt something in my dress. It was soft. I reached into my dress and discovered what it was. It was the rose that had been lying on my bed that day Bakura invaded the palace. "How has this been in my dress without me even noticing?" I questioned to myself. I was surprised. It showed absolutely no signs of wilting or withering. I thought by now the heat would have gotten to it. That's when another thought struck me. "Bakura," I said. "Did you leave this for me that night?" He smiled. "I did," he said. "I felt sorry for scaring you that night and making you fight me, so I thought you needed something to cheer you up." I blushed. That's when I remembered what Suki had said.

**Flashback. **"Whoever left it must be deeply in love with you…a red rose symbolizes eternal love." **End Flashback. **

But that's not what he could've meant by that. I mean, we were just friends, weren't we? God, even that didn't seem right. He hated my entire family. The question had to be asked. "Bakura, why do hate my entire family but not me?" I asked. His smiled faded quickly and he was silent. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get an answer. I guessed that if I questioned him further it wouldn't work. I would have to settle with nothing. "I hate them because of what he did," he replied. "What who did?" I asked. "Your father," he said. He didn't look at me when he said that. I guessed he didn't want it to be directed at me. "What…did my father do?" I questioned. He took a deep breath.

"15 years ago, 5 years before we met, your father ordered an attack on this village," he explained. "His sent his brother, your uncle, Aknadin, to lead the massacre, and he and an army of soldiers killed everyone but me and used their blood to create the Millennium Items." I became shocked. My father created the Millennium Items by killing an entire village? But, he couldn't have. It just didn't seem possible. "N-No," I said. "My father would never do such a thing."

"I know you won't believe it, but it's the truth," Bakura said. "He murdered all my family and friends and left me alone and in darkness." Even though I could not believe my father did such a thing, I was sympathetic towards Bakura. It must have been awful. "Sometimes, I can still hear my little sister screaming for me," he said quietly. "And…I could do nothing…to save her." A tear trickled down his scarred cheek. I raised my hand up and wiped it away. He gently grasped my hand and held it to his scar. "You…reminded me of her," he said. "That's why."

"Bakura," I said quietly. Suddenly, he held his chest in pain. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. "N…Nothing," he said. "I'll be right back…you stay here." He got up and quickly left the room. I got worried. Kiko entered the room. "Is he alright?" I asked. "Yeah…it happens when he wears that Ring," she replied. "Oh," I said. She sat down next to me. "So…how did you join Bakura?" I asked, trying to make conversation. "Well, it's a bit interesting," she said.

"Let's see… it was about 10 years ago…after the Pharaoh ordered an attack on my village." What was with my father? "I was the only survivor. I traveled from village to village, stealing food to survive on and some gold at times. One night, after I had stolen some good food, a young boy stole it from me. I chased after him and we fought. When he surrendered, we talked a little and I learned his name was Bakura. We decided that we should stay together in order to be more efficient thieves. I was often ridiculed because I was a girl, so I cut my hair short and wore a special tunic, passing myself off as a man. And…that's when Alexandria came into the picture." She smiled at that memory.

"Oh, you guys have a little something going on?" I teased. Kiko giggled. "Yes," she replied. "Her village was also destroyed. She came here one day, having had nothing to eat or drink in days, and decided to try and steal from us. She was caught, of course, because of her weakened state. A guard brought her before us and offered that we have her killed. But I said no and Bakura agreed. Instead, she became our servant. She was grateful that I saved her life and became attached to me. I thought our connection was weird, considering we were both girls, but…I couldn't hold back my feelings for her."

"That's sweet," I said, expressing my acceptance of their relationship. Kiko smiled. I now began to understand this group of thieves. Bakura had kind of created a family for these people who had been hurt by my father. Perhaps…I was its new member. After all…my father _did_ betroth me to that son of a bitch, Niu.

(Bakura's POV)

I made my way to the underground temple and walked past the Millennium Stone. I approached the back wall of the temple. I removed a brick, revealing a small hole. I started to remove the Millennium Ring from around my neck. It burnt my chest and I grasped it. "Damn you," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not letting you do this to me…or her." I removed it and placed it in the hole. "You won't hurt either of us," I said, placing the brick back in place.

That Ring had been trying to make me hurt Alea because she is the Pharaoh's sister, but there was no way I was going to do that. If I lost her, I would lose everything. I would never let that happen.


	11. Danger

(Alea's POV)

I woke up the next morning to a hissing sound next to me. It was Ini-herit. "…no, ten more minutes," I groaned. But he kept hissing and started crawling over me like a cat. "Ini-herit…let me sleep," I said. But he wouldn't stop. "Alright, I'm getting up," I said. I got out of the bed and put my dress and shoes on. Ini-herit wrapped himself around my neck. I walked out of the room and out into the ruined village.

As I walked through it, I came across several skeletons. They took me completely by surprise. They were all open-mouthed, still screaming. I walked further and came across a very small skeleton. It's skull had a large hole in it and its mouth was also open. I then remember Bakura talking about how everyone, including children, was killed. I looked at this little skeleton and felt tears coming to my eyes. Why did my father do this? Ini-herit sensed my sadness a moved his head to my cheek. I had to move away from this.

I walked to a more open area. Suddenly, something vapor-like came speeding at me and went right through my body, knocking me to the ground. "W-What on earth…" I looked up and saw a skull-like ghost looking at me. I tried to back away, but it left anyway. I breathed a sigh of relief. I guess when the people here died, their spirits never rested.

I moved to get up, but all of the sudden I saw a cobra crawling towards me. I stayed perfectly still, hoping it would leave me alone. But it was coming in my direction. I became scared. It moved right up to my ankle. It raised its head to strike. I let out a loud scream, hoping someone would get to me. However, before it could bite me, Ini-herit sprang from around my neck and attacked the cobra. I watched the two snakes fight each other. Ini-herit was able to bite the cobra, but that was all he could do. He wasn't a poisonous snake.

Suddenly, the cobra struck Ini-herit and he writhed in pain on the ground. The cobra then went back to me. In the blink of an eye, a blade came down and stabbed through it, killing it. The holder of the blade was Bakura. "Are you okay?" he asked. He seemed very concerned, a little more than he should have been. "Yeah," I replied.

I rushed to Ini-herit. He was lying still. I picked up his body and held it in my arms. There was still a little light in his eyes. "Come on," I begged. "Don't die, please." Bakura knelt down next to me. Ini-herit moved his head to look at us. He tried to move towards his master's hand, but couldn't. He then tried to move up to my face. But his head fell back and in that moment all the light left his eyes. "No," I breathed. "Ini-herit…" I started crying. "He's gone," I said, my voice shaking. "He's gone…and it's all my fault." Bakura held me close to him. "It's not your fault, Alea," he said. "But…I could have done something to keep that cobra away."

"No…that cobra was trained to kill everything," Bakura said. "It wasn't your fault…don't think that." I cradled Ini-herit's dead body in my arms. "Who trained that cobra?" I asked, my tone a combination of sadness and spite. "My enemy," he replied. "He's been wanting to kill me for years." "Then why kill Ini-herit and me?" I questioned. "He'll kill anyone who gets in the way," Bakura said. "That's why…we have to get out of here…for a little while at least."

"What?"

"It won't make it easy for him to hurt any of us if we move from place to place…we should leave tonight."

"Okay…but I want to bury Ini-herit first." Bakura seemed hesitant, but smiled. "Okay, we have time for that," he said. He helped me up. We took Ini-herit's body to Alexandria and she mummified him. She put him in a small decorated jar and gave it to me. Bakura then took me to an area that was partially shaded. I took a small curved stone and started digging a hole. When it was big enough, I placed the jar in it and filled it in. I knelt on the ground. Tears fell from my eyes. "Osiris…please…allow Ini-herit into the afterlife…please," I prayed. I stood back up.

It was already sunset. "We need to leave," Bakura said. I just nodded. He came up and wiped my tears away. "Don't be sad," he said. "He died trying to protect someone important to him…it wasn't in vain." I just nodded again. "Besides, there's something that might brighten your day," he said. "What?" I asked. He took me to a small wooden building. When we went inside, I saw someone I never thought I'd see again.

"Midnight!" I exclaimed. I rushed over to her. She whinnied at me. "I missed you," I said, softly petting her nose. "She'll be coming with us," Bakura said. "…thank you," was all I could say. We packed several bags and saddled the horses. Before another word could be said, we left Kul Elna behind. I hoped that no one else would be hurt during this journey.


	12. A Different Side

**Made it a long chapter to make up for how long I've kept you guys waiting.**

(Alea's POV)

When I woke up I was looking up at a fabric ceiling. We must've made camp early this morning. I was probably asleep whenever we did. It was pretty bright outside, so I pulled back the mosquito net and walked outside.

However, the campsite was empty. A small fire was now just ashes. Midnight and Tethys were tied up and grazing happily on the oasis grass. Where was everyone?

I heard the faint sound of a waterfall and started heading in that direction. When I reached its source, I realized I was at the top of the waterfall. When I reached the edge and looked over it, I could see two familiar figures lounging in the pool below.

"Hey, Alea!" Kiko called up. "Good to see you awake!"

"Come on in!" Alexandria called. "The water's really nice!"

Well, I hadn't been in water for several days, and I could sure use a nice rinse. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute!" I called back down. I removed my gold belt, bracelets, anklets, shoes, and tiara. It was okay if my dress got wet. I could use the air spell I learned to dry it off. I walked back over to the edge, preparing to jump off into the water.

However, I stopped to look at the height…it was pretty high up. It made me nervous. "Uh…I think I'll just walk down!" I called to them. "By the way…where's Bakura?"

Suddenly, someone came up behind me and grabbed me, lifting me off the ground. "I'm right here," he said. He started walking backwards.

"Bakura, what are you doing?" I questioned.

"Walking down will take too long," he replied.

"…Oh, you cannot be serious," I said. But he had already started running before I could object.

"Bakura, you're insane!" I shouted as he jumped off the cliff with me. We landed with a huge splash. After we resurfaced, I was clinging to Bakura like a spooked cat. I probably looked like one, too. He pried me off of him and set me down in the water, laughing a little.

"That wasn't funny!" I said, laughing a little myself.

"Then why are you laughing?" he chuckled. I blushed hard. Kiko and Alexandria started laughing, too.

"Oh, shut up!" I said, splashing water in Bakura's face. He splashed me back. "Oh, yeah, real mature, Bakura," I said. I attempted to splash him again, but he dodged it and the water hit Kiko instead. Bakura laughed at her.

"Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" she said, tackling him. They both went under the water.

"Oh, shit," I said.

"Don't worry," Alexandria said. "This is typical Kiko and Bakura."

They resurfaced, Kiko having her arm around his throat and tugging at his face and Bakura pulling at her hair. They looked like two little boys fighting. Bakura then took the arm that was around his throat, pried it off, and flung Kiko into the water. She resurfaced and said, "Okay! Truce, truce!"

"What? Admitting you're too weak to beat me?" Bakura said.

"No! I just want to relax is all," she replied.

"Riiiiiight," Bakura said.

Kiko punched him in the shoulder and walked back over to her spot. Bakura and I rested against a large rock. We all quietly relaxed. I glanced a little over at Bakura. I had never seen him with his robe off. He actually looked…really nice. His muscles were nicely defined, his arms looked strong yet soft. I wondered what it would feel like to be held in them. Oh, but what was I saying? We were just friends…but still.

"Water snake!" Kiko shouted. We all scrambled out of the water.

"Where? Where?" I questioned.

Kiko started laughing. "I can't believe you all fell for that!" she laughed. Alexandria punched her in the shoulder.

"What?" Kiko said.

"Now you ruined the whole relaxation time for us," she replied.

"Oh, come on," Kiko said. "It was just a joke."

"Yeah, but when one actually comes up, you'll say it again and we won't believe you," I said. Kiko pouted.

"Anyway, I think I've had enough water time today," Alexandria said.

"Me, too," I agreed.

"Besides, we need to get going if we want to make it to the hideout by nightfall," Bakura reminded us. We walked back up to the top of the waterfall, where I retrieved my shoes and jewelry and we packed up. It was around one when we finally left the oasis.

As we rode towards the hideout, I couldn't help but think that I had seen a somewhat more different side of Bakura this morning. He seemed so playful today…so childish. Boy, would my family be completely surprised if they ever saw that side of him. I know I was. But…that just made it easier to be with him.

Hours seemed to pass as we made our way towards the hideout, only making a few stops. Whoever it was we were running from must've been seriously bad, otherwise we wouldn't be trying to get to the hideout this quickly. I'd have to ask him for the specifics when we got there.

Finally, just as the sun had set, we reached a small shack. This was probably the hideout…but, it seemed really small, especially for someone like Bakura whose main hideout is an entire village (even if it was in ruins).

As he helped me off Midnight, I felt a harsh pain in my rear. "Please tell me this isn't going to be the norm," I said. "I don't think my butt can take any more of it."

Bakura chuckled a little. "Maybe I can ease your pain a little" he said, grabbing my rear.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed. I gave him a quick slap to make him let go. "Don't do that, please," I said. "It's not funny when it hurts…and besides, that's perverted."

"Alright, alright," he replied. "I won't do it anymore."

The four of us went inside the shack, which only had a table, a few chairs, and a few crates. "Uh…is this really the hideout?" I questioned. "With you I really would've thought there would have at least been a bed."

"Don't worry, this is just the outside," he said. He nodded to Kiko, who went over to one of the crates and pushed it to the side, revealing a trapdoor. Alexandria opened it, revealing a flight of stairs that led down into a tunnel. "That's the real hideout," Bakura said.

"Bakura, what is it with you and tunnels?" I said.

"Well, what better place to hide than underground," he replied.

"Good point," I said.

As we descended the stairs, I noticed that Kiko and Alexandria weren't following.

"Aren't you guys coming with us?" I questioned.

"We're going to stay up here and keep watch in case anyone decides to come snooping around," Kiko replied. I just nodded in understanding. They closed the trapdoor behind us, leaving the torches in the tunnel as our only light.

"I noticed that all these tunnels are pretty elaborate," I said.

"Well, my grandfather was the one who built them," he explained. "Back when all the thieves of Kul Elna were alive, the original King of Thieves needed a place to hide all of them, so he had these tunnels built to comfortable house them. He figured that we deserved the same comfort the richest people in Egypt had. Of course, I don't think this was his intent, but it was also in case someone decided to kidnap a princess." I blushed.

"Well, from my perspective, I'd say he did a good job," I said. Bakura smiled and lightly wrapped his arm around my waist.

After walking down the long hallway, we reached a room with a king sized bed in it. "Well, this is it," he said. I immediately walked over to the bed and collapsed on it.

"Ugh! Sooo tired!" I said, my voice muffled by one of the pillows. Bakura lay down next to me.

"So, who is this guy we're running from?" I asked.

"Well, he was my mentor for a while," he replied. "He taught me most of the stuff I know. But a few years ago, I guess he realized that I was eventually going to become a better thief than he was, especially after I was able to recruit some of the finest thieves in Egypt, as oppose to his gang of scumbags. I guess he was too proud to let me become the best. So, it's become his goal to destroy me and everything I own."

"So…Ini-herit's death was on purpose?" I questioned. He looked at me, his expression pitying.

"Yeah," he replied. "Alea, I-"

"You don't need to say it," I said. "I guess it's just better to know that it wasn't a senseless killing…it doesn't make up for it at all, but it lessens the pain a little bit." He held me close to him.

"Let's just go to sleep," he said. "We've had a long day." I nodded and closed my eyes.

But resting peacefully was not an option tonight. In the middle of the night, a group of men burst into the room, one of them dragging Alexandria by her hair. She looked unconscious. Bakura began fighting them off, but there were too many. I got up and tried to help fight, but one of them struck me in the back of the head (which was still tender after my fall). Everything went black…


	13. Battle of the Thieves, Bakura vs Cobra

(Alea's POV)

I woke up to several voices talking amongst themselves. When I opened my eyes, I was in a room full of men. "Hey, look, they're awake," one man said. "Get the boss," another said. They all had creepy looks on their faces. I backed away out of fear.

"Alexandria…where are we?" I questioned.

"I don't know, but it has to do with Bakura's enemy," she replied.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"All these men have cobra tattoos," she said. "It's the mark of the thief, Cobra."

"So…that's who his enemy is," I said to myself.

"Well, well," a deep, gruff voice said. "What do we have here?" I looked up to see a dark man dressed in black. When he removed his hood, I was taken aback a little. He looked like Prince Niu. Only he had a beard and moustache and there was a cobra tattoo on the right side of his face.

"Alexandria, long time no see," he said.

"And I wish I never saw you again," she replied.

"What? Still upset about our last encounter?" he questioned.

"You almost killed me," she accused. "I was lucky that Kiko and Bakura were there to save me."

He laughed. "Just know that this time neither of them will save you," he said. Alexandria just ignored him. He turned his attention to me. I tried not to make eye contact with him.

"Well, you're new," he said. He bent down to my level. "You must be Bakura's little whore," he said, grabbing my cheeks. I pulled away from him.

"I am no whore!" I said. He just laughed.

"Who are you, then?" he questioned.

I knew it would be a bad idea to use my real name along with the title of "Princess". That would make my situation a whole lot worse. I had to think quickly. "Amisi," I replied. "I'm a peasant girl…Bakura found me six days ago and allowed me to join him."

"Hmph. You're pretty well dressed for a peasant girl," he replied.

_Don't screw this up, Alea. _"You'd be surprised at how well he treats me," I replied. "After all…he _is _the King of Thieves."

"Him? He's nothing more than a brat who stole his title from his master," he replied. "_I _am the real King of Thieves."

"Really? You don't look like it," I said. Alexandria gave me a warning look.

"Strong talk coming from a simple peasant girl," he said.

"I'm only saying it because it's true," I replied. "Look, I don't you, but I do know that Bakura _is _the _real _King of Thieves because he has stolen so much more than you ever could, he doesn't let his ego get to him, he actually has some dignity, and he is ten times the man you could ever be!" The entire room fell dead silent. It seemed as though I had shaken even the most sadistic of thieves. Of course, my little speech earned me a hard slap to the face. Despite that, I was quite proud of myself. I wish I could've said the same thing to Niu.

"You'll learn to respect me," he said. "Bakura is nothing compared to me…Take them away, and put them in one of the cells."

Two men took us by the arms and dragged us down a hallway to where the cells were. They opened one of the doors and literally threw us in. I skidded across the rough surface, scrapping my knees, arms, and dress.

"Enjoy your new home," one of the men said, laughing.

I sat up. The room was small and dank and had a terrible odor. Bakura's rooms were so much better, since they at least had a bed, a window, and smelled like musk.

"You know that was a stupid thing to do back there, don't you?" Alexandria said.

"I know," I replied. "But had to say something."

"Well…we should try to survive while we're here," she said.

"At least until Bakura saves us," I said.

"I'm not sure he'll be coming this time," Alexandria said quietly. I was surprised at her. She wasn't normally the one to give up hope.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Last night…things got pretty bad," she replied. "Kiko got beaten up really badly…and if they could overpower us…then Bakura must've-"

"No! Bakura survived that attack! I know he did!" I denied. "He'll rescue us, I know he will…he promised to protect me…"

(Bakura's POV)

"Bakura…Bakura, wake up!" Kiko said.

I struggled to wake up. However, the events from the previous night ran through my mind and I shot up. "Alea!" I shouted, breathing heavily. "Where's Alea?"

"She and Alexandria were kidnapped last night!" Kiko informed me. "And I think you know by whom."

She was right. I knew exactly who was responsible for this. To think, I tried so hard to protect all of us only to have two of my dearest friends kidnapped by the person I was trying to protect them from. I knew I had to act quickly. I struggled to my feet.

"Bakura?" Kiko questioned.

"We have to go now," I said.

"Bakura, he'll overpower us! We already went through hell last night and we're too weak right now to fight him, let alone his gang of thieves," Kiko said.

"Kiko, you know what horrible things he's capable of," I protested. "Need I remind you what he did to Alexandria? Do you want her to go through that again?" That was Kiko's weak spot. I knew she would do anything for Alexandria.

She nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

We went to where Midnight and Artemis were and were relieved to see that Cobra's men had not gotten to them. We got on them and started riding towards Cobra's hideout. The one flaw he had was that he was always consistent. He always thought no one could find his hideout…no one except his former student.

As we neared his hideout, I couldn't help but think of Alea. There was no telling what he was planning to do to her. It was time to make good on my promise to her. _This time…I'll kill him._

(Alea's POV)

I had to think of some way to get Alexandria and I out of this cell. I didn't think I could stay another minute in these horrid conditions. I began to think. How would a female thief break out of a cell with no windows and a guard at the door? It then hit me. _With her looks._

I went over to Alexandria. "I know how to get us out of here," I whispered. She looked at me with a look of disbelief. "Hey, it's worth a shot," I said. "Just trust me and follow my lead."

I walked over to the cell door and cleared my throat. No matter how disgusting this was, I could not slip up.

"Yoohoo!" I called over to the guard. I seemed to have gotten his attention. "If you let me out of here, I promise I'll be a good girl," I said in a cutesy voice, batting my eyes.

He blushed a little and grinned. This was actually working pretty well. He unlocked the cell door and allowed me to come out.

"Now, you have to promise you'll be a good girl," he said.

"Oh, don't worry," I said, giving a quick look to Alexandria. "I will." I pushed him against the cell door. "I'll show you just how good a girl I can be," I said in a seductive tone.

At that moment, Alexandria reached through the bars and wrapped her sash around his neck, choking him until he passed out. I then opened the door for her.

"Ugh! I was about to vomit!" I exclaimed. "These people are disgusting!"

"I have to admit, Alea…that was quite a brilliant plan," Alexandria complimented.

"Thanks, but let's get out of here and then we can thank each other," I said.

However, before we could make a run for it, someone grabbed us by our throats and hauled us off the ground.

"So, you two think you can just get away without me noticing?" he questioned. "You're both fools…you'll be dead before you even have a chance."

"Let. Them. Go," a familiar voice said. I turned around and knew exactly who I would see.

"Bakura," I breathed.

"Well, well, well," Cobra said. "If it isn't my former student…and his pathetic servant."

Kiko blushed, embarrassed. "I am no one's servant," she said.

"Really?" Cobra said. "You follow your master's orders without protest, you have a lower status than he does, and yet you deny that you're a servant?"

Kiko's fist clenched. She pulled out her sword. "I'll kill you!" she shouted. Bakura stopped her. He gave her a look, telling her to calm down. She reluctantly put her sword away.

"Kiko is my second in command," Bakura defended. "He has as much status as I have." I was so glad he referred to her as "he".

They began coming towards us. "Stop right there," Cobra said, his grip on our throats tightening. "If you take one more step I'll break their necks."

Bakura's normally strong composure began to slip. _Bastard! How dare you use me as a weapon against Bakura!_

"So, the great King of Thieves is weakened by the sight of his friend's in pain," Cobra mocked.

This wasn't right! I had to make him stop torturing Bakura. I noticed his dagger and knew what to do. While he was distracted, I grabbed it and brought it up, slashing him across the face. He screamed in pain and let go of us. We both ran to Kiko and Bakura. I never thought I'd be happier to be in Bakura's arms.

"Are you two okay?" Kiko asked.

"I'll just be happier when we get out of here," I replied.

"Well, we have a big problem to deal with first," Bakura reminded. He was right. Cobra was now going insane from the intense pain of the wound I had just inflicted on him. I had slashed him pretty good. The left side of his mouth, his nose, and his right eyelid were cut wide open.

"Let's finish this," Kiko said, pulling out her sword.

"No," Bakura said. "He's my fight…you and Alexandria get to safety."

"Bakura! He's you're former mentor!" Kiko protested. "Like you said, he taught you _everything _you know!"

"I know," Bakura replied. "But it has to end between me and him…I'll be fine."

Kiko reluctantly obeyed and took Alexandria out of the hideout with her. Now it was just Cobra, Bakura, and me. Bakura held me closer to him. "Don't worry," he said. "I wouldn't let the person most precious to me get hurt…I promise."

"I know," I said quietly. Things were going to get bloody.

"I'll kill you…I'll kill you both!" Cobra shrieked.

"You want to know something?" Bakura said. "All these years you said that you were the best…that you were the real King of Thieves and that I could never be good enough for that title. But…I have proof that _I _am the true King of Thieves. I stole something that you never could even if you tried…I stole a princess."

"Liar!" Cobra yelled, lunging at us with his sword. Bakura quickly dodged it and shielded me between him and the wall. "I am the King of Thieves!" Cobra screamed.

"In the end your pride and your vain mind will be your downfall," Bakura said. "It's a shame…but I have no sympathy for you." Cobra was about to strike again with his sword. "Go to hell, you filthy snake," Bakura said before slashing his sword at Cobra.

In that one strike, Bakura had cut deep into his chest. Blood spurted out of him and onto Bakura and I. Cobra lay on the ground. Dead. I froze. I had never seen a bloody dead corpse before, nor had I ever felt anyone's blood on me. I had a sick feeling and began getting dizzy.

"Alea…are you okay?" Bakura asked, concerned.

I vomited and then everything went black…


	14. Tears

(Alea's POV)

My eyes squinted open to the bright light of the sun. "Good, she's waking up," Alexandria said.

"Bakura, you should have been more considerate about how she would take it," Kiko said.

"How was I supposed to know she was going to faint?" Bakura fired back.

"Regardless, it was a bad idea to make her go through all of that," Kiko said.

"And who, may I ask, made you the boss of me?" Bakura argued.

"Alright, you two! Break it up!" Alexandria said. "It's all over and done with and there's no point in arguing about it."

"Ugh…does someone have a towel?" I asked, noticing the blood was still on me. Alexandria took off her pink sash and poured water on it. I practically rubbed my skin off trying to clean the blood off. "Thank goodness you both came when you did," I said. "If you hadn't…well, let's just say Alexandria and I wouldn't have made it."

"Well, it was from your quick thinking that we were actually able to get out of that cell, Alea," Alexandria complimented. "You know, for a princess you certainly think like a thief."

I blushed. It wouldn't sound right to anyone else, but after living with this group for about a week, it flattered me. "Bakura," I said. "I was wondering…why _did _you keep me with you during the fight?" He paused for a moment.

"Well…there were two reasons, but…they were pretty selfish ones," he said. "The first one was to prove my point to Cobra that he wasn't the greatest thief in the world anymore." _Selfish, but quite understandable. _"The second…well, if I had lost the fight somehow, I wanted you to be the last thing I saw."

I blushed radiantly. "But…why me?" I asked. He smiled softly.

"Because I-"

Suddenly, he let out a yell of pain and fell over. "Bakura!" I exclaimed. An arrow was sticking out of his back. One surviving member of Cobra's thieves had followed us and shot him. Before he could escape, however, Kiko took one of her own arrows and shot him in the middle of the back. Bakura's eyes were barely open and groans of deep pain escaped his mouth.

"What are we going to do?" I asked worriedly.

"Let's get him inside, first," Kiko said, lifting him up.

We took him back into the hideout and down into the tunnel. As Kiko entered Bakura's and my room, she turned back to Alexandria. "Keep Alea out here," she said. "I need to work quickly." Alexandria just nodded. With that, Kiko closed the door.

My back fell against the opposite wall and I sank to the floor. I couldn't believe it. How…How could he get hurt so terribly? I couldn't help but think, _He's going to die. _I began crying. Alexandria put her arms around me. "Don't worry," she said. "Kiko is very good at this…and the arrow wasn't even close to hitting his heart."

"But it hit something," I said. "He was bleeding really badly."

Alexandria seemed to be unable to answer. "I know he'll be alright," she said. "Bakura doesn't give up, even if he is wounded as badly as he is now."

She was right. He would never give up on life. I folded my hands. _Osiris…please…don't let him die. _I prayed. _I know he has done terrible things before…but he's done very good things, too…let him live…please. _

Hours seemed to pass and my anxiety grew. Finally, as nightfall came, Kiko came out of the room. I instantly stood up. "Is he okay?" I asked, my heart beating quickly.

Kiko smiled. "He's made it through the worst of it," she said. "He just needs to rest now." I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"He wants to see you, Alea," she said.

I took a deep breath and entered the room, Kiko closing the door behind me. Bakura was lying on the bed, the upper part of his torso completely bandaged. He turned his head towards me. "Alea," he said quietly.

I ran over to the bed and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Bakura…I thought I was going to lose you," I cried. He held me close to him.

"I thought I was going to lose you, too," he said. I felt my shoulder become wet. _Is he…crying? _

"Bakura?" I questioned. "Are you…crying?" He was. But…he never cried.

"Sorry," he said. "I just…really thought I was going to lose you." He held me closer.

"I was so worried that that arrow had pierced your heart," I said.

He looked at me and lightly grasped my hand, placing it on his chest. "I'm not so sure it didn't," he said. I blushed brightly and my heart started to melt.

In that instant, his lips touched mine and we were kissing. It seemed so wrong, a princess kissing a thief, but…it felt so right. I couldn't believe we were actually doing this. I wanted it to last forever, but he lightly pulled away from weakness and instantly fell asleep.

I couldn't deny it to myself anymore. I was completely in love with Bakura. It felt great to finally listen to my heart and not worry about how the world viewed what went on between Bakura and me.

I soon became tired myself and lay down next to Bakura, curling up close to him.

Before I fell asleep, I heard the door open quietly. Kiko came in and blew out the two candles in the room, allowing us to sleep better, and exited the room. "Took them long enough," I heard her whisper to Alexandria.

I felt so happy…so…complete…


	15. Would You?

**Sorry, it's been awhile, but I'm back with another chapter. Hope you like it. Also, probably not an important mistake, but back in chapter 12, I said that Kiko and Alexandria's horse was named Tethys, but I accidentally said it was Artemis in chapter 13. Anyway, just wanted to clear up any confusion. Here's chapter 15. Enjoy! **

(Alea's POV)

The journey back to Kul Elna was a slow one. Bakura was still weak from what had happened yesterday, so we couldn't go as fast as we normally would on horseback. Though, it was nice to have a quiet and peaceful trip back. Especially with the man I loved.

As we neared the oasis we had stopped at before, I rested my head against his chest. He flinched a little, as I had unintentionally touched his wound.

"Oh, sorry," I said.

"It's alright," he assured me. "It's only momentary." He placed my head under his chin. I just felt so happy with him. I felt like for the first time I was able to love who I chose to love.

After arriving in the oasis, nightfall had already come and we set up camp. Not long afterwards, Kiko and Alexandria made their way into one of the tents and went to bed. I myself began to grow tired and was about the go into my and Bakura's tent until I noticed Bakura beginning to walk into the jungle. I followed quietly behind him. It was unwise for him to be walking around alone in the current physical state he was in and I had to follow to make sure he was okay. After walking a distance away from the camp, we came upon the same waterfall and spring we were at just two days ago. He walked closer to the pool of water and removed his robe and shoes, and waded into the water. I removed my belt, jewelry, and shoes and waded in after him.

"Bakura?" I said quietly.

"Just thought I'd get some water on this wound," he replied as he lowered himself into the water. He winced a little from the sting of the water. I got into the water and swam over to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah…it should be fine in a few days," he replied.

"Right…but don't exert yourself too much or it'll open back up and get worse," I said.

He simply smiled and put his hand on my head. "You worry too much," he said. He lightly kissed my forehead and pressed his head to mine.

"It's only because I don't want to lose you," I said. "That has almost happened twice over the course of a single day."

His expression became one of understanding and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to his chest. "You make a good point," he said, softly stroking my hair. "Alright…I won't do anything that requires a lot of effort…for your sake."

"Thank you," I said. We stayed like that for several long moments, half submerged in the water and close together.

"Alea," he said.

"Yes?"

"…About killing Mahad…I-"

I stopped him by putting my finger to his lips. "Let's not open any old wounds tonight," I said gently. "I just don't want to think about it right now…all I want to think about right now is you and me."

He simply nodded in understanding. We went over to the rock that we had laid against before. I lay in his arms as we watched the moon and the stars. It was such a beautiful moment. I never wanted it to end. Bakura brought me across his lap and kissed me tenderly. I never felt more whole in my life. His lips moved to my neck then to my ear.

"I never want to separate from you," he whispered.

"Nor I from you," I answered back.

"Bakura…I love you."

He kissed me one more time. I soon began to feel tired again and let out a small yawn. Bakura took me up in his arms and carried me out of the water. After retrieving what we left at the edge of the spring, we returned to the camp and went into our tent. After getting into the bed, I curled up close to Bakura. He wrapped his arms around me and I fell asleep.

**FF to the next afternoon**

(Alea's POV)

I must've fallen asleep, because one moment we were leaving the oasis and now we were only minutes away from Kul Elna. It was strange…but I actually missed this place. Granted, I dislike having to live with all the ghosts and old skeletons that reminded of the tragedy that occurred there 15 years ago. But there was a reason I considered this place my second home. It was the people I lived with. The people that treated me like a friend…and the person that loved me. They were the reason I liked living there. My family would think I was crazy if I told them that.

_My family. _That was the first time I had thought of them since we left to hide from Cobra. Now…I couldn't really believe I had been away from them for an entire week, at least. I had never even gone a day without being with them, save for that day when I was I child and Bakura had saved me. I wonder…how were they doing without me? They were all probably worried sick. Especially my sister, Ema. She was probably suffering a lot of heartbreak right now, ever since Mahad died. I bet Seto was doing just fine, though, as much as I had mocked and teased him in the past. Even so…I guess I never realized how much I missed them. The only thing that made it bearable, besides being away from Niu and Odjit, was being with someone who I knew really loved me, and who I really loved, too.

"Alea…Alea!" I heard Bakura say.

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Huh?" I said.

"We're here," he said simply.

"Oh…right," was all I said.

He helped me down. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I replied. _Wasn't I, though? Yes, I missed my family, but I was okay, right? So, then…why didn't I feel completely okay? _I brushed it off.

After we put Midnight and Tethys in their stables and started walking towards the underground tunnels, for some reason I looked towards where the sun was just about to disappear. For a second, I thought I saw something on the horizon, almost a black spot against the sun, but it was too far and too small to tell, so I disregarded it. Bakura lightly took my hand in his and we walked to his…I mean, _our _room. After we got inside, I eagerly laid down on the bed.

"Home at last," I sighed tiredly. I heard Bakura chuckle.

"What?" I questioned.

"It's just funny," he replied. "I thought 'home' would be the last thing you'd consider this place."

"Well…things change," I said. "When there are bad things happening everywhere you go…sometimes a place like this is the only place you feel safe."

"…Really?" he said. "Even if you're with the most dangerous man in Egypt?"

"Some things can be easily overlooked," I replied, smiling. He smiled back and kissed me. It lasted a long while before he broke it slowly.

"Alea…can I ask you something?" he said.

"Anything," I said.

"Well, I was wondering…um…," he started to say. "…Never mind. I don't think you're ready to be asked that."

"Asked what?" I questioned.

"Nothing," he said.

"Come on, tell me," I pressed.

"No," he said. I could see him blushing a little and knew it was something personal.

"Just tell me, pleeeeeeeeease!" I continued to press.

"I said no," he refused. I tried to give him the puppy eyes, but he turned away. I was getting a little annoyed now.

"I thought we weren't going to keep secrets from each other," I complained, lightly hitting him in the back over and over.

"Cut that out," he ordered.

"Not if you don't tell me what you wanted to tell me," I said.

"I'm warning you," he said.

"Just spit it out already!" I exclaimed. I could tell he was getting irritated.

Finally, he turned around and slammed me down on my back, pinning my arms down. "You're acting extremely childish right now, Alea," he growled. But I could tell he wasn't mad. He was blushing brightly. I'm sorry, but he just looked so adorable.

"You're the one who won't say it," I fired back, a laughing smile on my face. He blushed even more. I couldn't help myself. "Aww, you look so cute when you blush," I said.

"Don't make fun of me," he said, looking away.

"What? You do," I said. He sighed and let go of my arms. I sat up. "Come on…you can ask me anything, and you know it," I said. "I can take anything."

He let out another sigh. "Okay," he said. "Well…I wanted to ask you…would you…if you wanted to…um…how do I say this?"

"Just say it," I said, gently touching his hand.

He took a deep breath. "Alea, will you…lie down with me," he said.

It took me a moment to realize what he was asking. Then, I was the one who was blushing radiantly. But at the same time, I was smiling a little. "Is that all it was?" I said.

"Yeah…it is," he said.

"…Yes," I said. He looked at me, a bit surprised. "I will, Bakura," I repeated.

A smile came across his face. He kissed me again, only this time much more passionately. My heart began to flutter. He laid me down on my back and got on top of me.

"Just tell me if anything hurts…I'll stop," he said, gently stroking my cheek.

"With you, I don't think anything will," I said.

"Still…first time's always the hardest," he said.

"Then, I'll take it however it comes," I said.

He smiled at this, then lowered his head to my neck and kissed it, moving across my chest. My fingers wove crazily through his hair. I never thought I'd experience something like this. Of course…little did I know that it would be a very short-lived feeling.

Within moments, my entire world would come crashing down on me…

**Uh oh. What's going to happen? Until next chapter. Adios!**


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